Addressing myths that teachers encounter in the classroom

Historical myths often come up in social studies lessons and teacher Stephen Lazar, a guest writer in this blog post, tells how he deals with them in his classes. In addressing the myths about Rosa Parks, for example, Lazar writes that he avoids using the textbook and instead allows students to use primary-source documents and multiple secondary sources to get varied viewpoints. In the end, Lazar writes, his students learn about Parks -- beyond the myths -- and receive more than a cursory understanding of the events that led to her historic bus ride.